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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Pompeii serves up ash and cheese for disaster lovers

In a Nutshell:This
disaster movie is getting terrible reviews, but I still got a kick out of the
swords-and-sandal attempt at filling in the details of how things went down in Pompeii
.The plot is paper thin, but the special
effects (I saw it in 3D) are cool and it’s been awhile since we’ve had such a
massive destruction movie like this.As
a kid, I was fascinated by disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure
, Earthquake
,
and The Towering Inferno
.

I was just in Italy
last spring, but didn’t have enough time to visit Pompeii
.I hear it’s chilling to see the human remains frozen in time and to
imagine the devastation that ended their lives.It’s so heart-breaking, which could have made for a profoundly deep
movie, but the film stays at the surface of emotions, mixing some gladiator
fight scenes with a forbidden romance. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson of
Resident Evil
, the movie tops your bag of popcorn with lots of cheese.

Uplifting theme:Get
a 72 hour emergency kit.I’m kidding,
but really not.I liked how some of the
characters faced imminent death with dignity and love, rather than fear.One character (no spoiler alert here)
declares “I don’t want to spend our last few moments together running.”While the younger generation today often paints
their lack of societal comportment behind the flag of “YOLO” (You Only Live
Once), the idea of living life to the fullest is inspiring, because none of us
really does know how much time we have left on this earth.

Things I liked:

The
aerial views of the city in the movie were really good and allowed you to
visualize what life may have been like back then.Pompeii
was an ancient Roman city that was buried under 20 feet of ash after the
earthquake and eruption of Mount Vesuvius
in 79 AD.During the excavations,
plaster was used to fill in the spaces between the ash layers so that you
can see the exact position people were in when they died.Today the ruins include a forum, baths,
artwork, markets, a port, pools, houses, amphitheater, aqueduct, and many
homes.

I’m so
glad that 3D isn’t used for silly visual gimmicks anymore, but has become
much more sophisticated, enhancing the viewing experience.The CGI was really good and even made me
flinch a time or two.

I’ve
always been a huge fan of 24: The Complete Series
and enjoyed watching Kiefer Sutherland.I don’t think I had heard him speak with
a British accent before.He
certainly doesn’t look Roman, but it was still good to see him on the big
screen.

The
playful banter between the two main gladiators was endearing.Adewale Akinnuoye, who plays Atticus, is
such a beast.

I
liked the pretty beads in Cassia’s and Aurelia’s hair.Let’s see if that starts a new fashion
trend.

The
eagle was a symbol of Rome
and used frequently in the movie to illustrate the overarching power and
authority of the oppressive empire.I thought it was clever to show certain characters (no spoiler
alert here) die underneath a big statue of an eagle that had fallen on top
of them.

The
friendship between Cassia (Australian beauty Emily Browning) and Ariadne (Evil
Dead star Jessica Lucas) was sweet and I liked it when the camera caught a
quick glance of them as they held hands for courage.

I saw
the famous Roman Coliseum last April and marveled at the tunnels
underneath the fighting floor.I
liked how Pompeii
tried to recreate historic architecture and culture.

I
liked the dramatic chorus of masked performers who narrated the gladiator
battles in the arena.Kind of
creepy and cool.

Ash
floats through the air after the volcano blows, reminding me I need to put
a few more face masks, lip balm and bandanas in my emergency preparedness
kit.I had never really thought
about how dark it would have been, as the thick ash clouds covered the
sun.

I
appreciated some of the details, like when you see blood dripping down
from Milo’s finger after a fight.

The
ending is super cheesy, but I still liked it.

Things I didn’t like:

It
tried to be too much like Gladiator
.Atticus even had a little wooden doll like the African gladiator in
that movie.It feels a bit like a
mash-up of Gladiator
, Titanic
, and Earthquake
.

The
casting wasn’t very authentic to the time and culture, although Milo (played by Game of Thrones Kit Harington) looks
Italian.He’s actually a British actor
whose real name is Christopher Catesby.

Cassia
says “You came back for me” when her beloved rescues her from her
villain.That line has been used so
many times in film history by damsels in distress that I’d really like to
hear something new and creative.

Interesting lines:

“No gladiator should die from a knife to
the back.”- Atticus

“He’s
a politician.Be careful what you
say to him.”- Aurelia

“Why
so serious?” – Atticus.Wait,
wasn’t that Heath Ledger in Batman?

“This
is not sport.This is politics.”- Corvus the Senator

Things to look for:

The
Boss Slaver’s curly bangs looked more like something out of the Hunger
Games.

The
frescos painted on the walls…many were actually preserved during the
excavation of the city and offer a peek into life during that time.